SARS-CoV-2 transmission across age groups in France and implications for control.

ABSTRACT: The shielding of older individuals has been proposed to limit COVID-19 hospitalizations while relaxing general social distancing in the absence of vaccines. Evaluating such approaches requires a deep understanding of transmission dynamics across ages. Here, we use detailed age-specific case and hospitalization data to model the rebound in the French epidemic in summer 2020, characterize age-specific transmission dynamics and critically evaluate different age-targeted intervention measures in the absence of vaccines. We find that while the rebound started in young adults, it reached individuals aged ≥80 y.o. after 4 weeks, despite substantial contact reductions, indicating substantial transmission flows across ages. We derive the contribution of each age group to transmission. While shieldi

SUBMITTER: Tran Kiem C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8617041 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature